‘This is your moment.’ Lexington Catholic survives, advances in state softball walk-off.
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Kentucky high school sports state championships
KHSAA state championships played out this weekend across four different sports in Lexington, and the Herald-Leader’s staff of writers and photographers covered all the action. Click below for highlights from the baseball, softball, tennis and track and field state championships.
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The colors constantly came at Lydia Kennedy, first by surprise, then with no mistaking them.
Orange, pink and yellow Starburst candies were pelted at the Lexington Catholic softball sophomore, attempting to distract her while she spoke to reporters in the minutes following one of the biggest moments in program history.
It was Kennedy who connected her bat to the ball in the bottom of the seventh inning against Boyle County on Friday night, sending a bouncer into left field that scored a pair of Knights to advance LexCath to the state tournament quarterfinals in walk-off fashion with a 2-1 win.
It was Kennedy who helped cause a celebration at home plate, and in the stands among those in the LexCath student section at John Cropp Stadium on the UK campus.
So it was Kennedy who had the honor of trying to deflect the Starbursts, doing her best to slap away the airborne candies as she tried to put the victory into perspective.
“Coach (Emery Emmert) said, ‘You guys have got to fight like you’re the third kangaroo on Noah’s ark and it’s starting to rain.’” Kennedy said. “We’ve been putting up kangaroo (signs) and we’ve just been fighting. No quit. No quit until it’s over. No quit.”
The LexCath heroics made possible by Kennedy highlighted Friday’s action in the first round of the KHSAA Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Softball State Tournament presented by UK HealthCare.
State tournament play began Friday, with four teams advancing to next Friday’s state quarterfinals, which will also be played at John Cropp Stadium.
Four more teams were to punch their tickets to the quarterfinals on Saturday.
Along with Lexington Catholic, Harrison County, Holy Cross (Louisville) and McCracken County all advanced to the state quarterfinals, which will be played June 10.
‘Keep fighting’
In an earlier meeting this season, Lexington Catholic run-ruled Boyle County, scoring a 15-3 win in six innings on March 30.
Things were much tighter Friday night.
Boyle County junior Kayleigh White (6 1/3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 6 K) pitched well in the circle, largely keeping Lexington Catholic off the base paths.
It was White who supplied Boyle County with a fourth-inning lead as well, with a run-scoring single to right field.
Despite a sterling pitching effort from LexCath star freshman Abby Hammond (7 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 12 K) it looked as if that lone run would be enough to flip the early-season result and send Boyle County to the state quarterfinals.
But LexCath rallied in the bottom of the seventh, positioning runners at the corners with one out and Kennedy at the plate.
Kennedy’s hit scored pinch runner Camden Perry from third and also sophomore Kinley Willoughby, the winning run, from first after Boyle County had trouble fielding the ball in the outfield.
“I believed before we even got up there,” LexCath head coach Emery Emmert said of his team’s late rally. “I just told them, ‘Keep fighting.’ That’s what we do, fight, fight, fight until it’s over. I said, ‘Everybody needs to want it.’ They need to want that. This is your moment.”
LexCath’s walk-off win came despite recording only three hits in the game.
“Just the fact that they’re going to go up there with the right mentality and give themselves a shot, every single time,” Emmert said. “They’ve had that mentality, which is go after everything, every time. Want the moment.”
Lexington Catholic is now 28-6, having lost the 43rd District title game and won the 11th Region title game (both against Lafayette) on its way to the state tournament.
Boyle County ends its season at 26-10, having won the 45th District Tournament and the 12th Region Tournament. This was Boyle County’s first loss since May 7.
Friday’s other highlights
Joining Lexington Catholic in the state quarterfinals are Harrison County, Holy Cross (Louisville) and McCracken County.
Harrison County outlasted Lewis County, 1-0, in a marathon 13-inning game that began Friday night and ended early Saturday morning. The game was one of the longest in state tournament history.
During the game, Lewis County junior Emily Cole recorded her 1,000th career strikeout, becoming the 24th player in state history to reach that mark.
Harrison County will play Lexington Catholic in a state quarterfinal on June 10 at 11 a.m.
The first of Friday’s games at John Cropp Stadium was a straightforward result, as Holy Cross (Louisville) topped Corbin, 8-0.
Friday’s second state tournament game saw McCracken County defeat Elizabethtown, 9-6.
McCracken County and Holy Cross (Louisville) will face each other in a state quarterfinal on June 10 at 2 p.m.
State tournament
At UK’s John Cropp Stadium in Lexington
Schedule listed in bracketed order
Friday
Harrison Co. 1, Lewis Co. 0
Lexington Catholic 2, Boyle Co. 1
McCracken Co. 9, Elizabethtown 6
Holy Cross (Louisville) 8, Corbin 0
Saturday
9 p.m.: Highlands (26-14) vs. South Warren (36-2)
6 p.m.: Oldham Co. (33-7) vs. Henderson Co. (32-2)
2 p.m.: Daviess Co. (30-5) vs. Estill Co. (22-11)
11 a.m.: Ballard (35-0) vs. Johnson Central (25-13)
June 10
Quarterfinal games at 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.
June 11
Semifinal games at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.
June 12
3 p.m.: Championship game
This story was originally published June 4, 2022 at 8:05 AM.
